DeWolf Hopper

DeWolf Hopper (March 30, 1858 – September 23, 1935) was an American actor, singer, comedian, and theatrical producer. A star of the musical stage, he was best-known for performing the popular baseball poem Casey at the Bat.

Related Topics:
March 30 - 1858 - September 23 - 1935 - American - Actor - Singer - Comedian - Musical - Stage - Baseball - Poem - Casey at the Bat

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He was born William DeWolf Hopper in New York, New York, the son of John Hopper (born 1815) and Rosalie DeWolf (born 1827). His father was a wealthy Quaker lawyer and his mother came from a noted Colonial family.

Related Topics:
New York - New York - 1815 - 1827 - Wealth - Quaker - Lawyer

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Though his parents insisted he become a lawyer, Hopper did not enjoy that profession. He made his stage debut in New Haven, Connecticut, October 2, 1878. Originally, he wanted to be a serious actor, but at 6' 2" (1.88 m) he was too large for most dramatic roles. He had a loud bass singing voice, however, and achieved the status of leading man in The Black Hussar (1885).

Related Topics:
New Haven, Connecticut - October 2 - 1878 - Bass - Leading man - 1885

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Eventually, he starred in more than thirty Broadway musicals, including Castles in the Air (1890), Wang (1891), and John Phillip Sousa's El Capitan (1899), which met with great success in London. The role that he remembered with greatest pleasure was Old Bill in The Better Ole (1919).

Related Topics:
Broadway - 1890 - 1891 - John Phillip Sousa - 1899 - London - 1919

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Known as a matinee idol, Hopper also starred in several Gilbert and Sullivan comic operetta revivals from 1921 to 1925, including The Mikado, Patience, and H.M.S. Pinafore.

Related Topics:
Gilbert and Sullivan - Operetta - 1921 - 1925 - The Mikado - Patience - H.M.S. Pinafore

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A lifelong baseball enthusiast and New York Giants fan, he first performed Ernest Thayer's then-unknown poem Casey at the Bat to the Giants and Chicago Cubs the day his friend, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Tim Keefe had his record 19 game winning streak stopped, August 14, 1888. Two months later the Giants won New York's first World Series.

Related Topics:
New York Giants - Fan - Ernest Thayer - Chicago Cubs - Baseball Hall of Fame - Tim Keefe - August 14 - 1888 - World Series

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Hopper helped make the comic poem famous and was often called upon to give his colorful, melodramatic recitation, which he did for about 10,000 times in his booming voice, reciting it during performances and as part of curtain calls, and on radio. He released a recorded version in 1906 that hit No. 3 on the Billboard chart.

Related Topics:
Radio - 1906 - Billboard chart

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He had alopecia from childhood, causing complete baldness with no eyebrows or eyelashes, and wore wigs both on and offstage. In later years, a reaction to harsh medicines that he took for throat problems made his skin have a bluish tinge. Regardless, his powerful voice and great sense of humor mesmerized women all his life.

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Hopper was also known by the nickname "The Husband of His Country" for his multiple marriages. His first wife, Ella, was also his 2nd cousin on his mother's side. They were married in Ohio before he began his stage career.

Related Topics:
Nickname - Ohio

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He had six wives: Ella Gardiner (divorced); actress Ida Mosher (divorced); actress Edna Wallace (married 1893-divorced 1898); actress Nella Bergen (October 2, 1898)-divorced April 1913); actress Elda Furry (married May 8, 1913-divorced January 20, 1924) (who later became one of Hollywood's most feared gossip columnists, Hedda Hopper); and singer/actress Lulu Glaser (married 1925-his death 1935).

Related Topics:
1893 - 1898 - October 2 - 1913 - May 8 - January 20 - 1924 - Hollywood - Gossip columnist - Hedda Hopper - 1925 - 1935

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He and his second wife, Ida, had one son; and he and his fifth wife, Hedda, had one son, William DeWolf Hopper, Jr. (1915-1970) (actor William Hopper).

Related Topics:
1915 - 1970 - William Hopper

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Hopper also appeared in several silent motion pictures, as well as a few short talkies.

Related Topics:
Silent - Motion pictures - Talkies

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After taking over the role of Lutz in the stage show The Student Prince (1927), he made a Broadway appearance in White Lilacs (1928). He then did Radio City Music Hall Inaugural (1932), and played Dr. Gustave Ziska in The Monster (1933). At the time of his death, he was in Kansas City, Missouri, making a radio appearance.

Related Topics:
1927 - 1928 - 1932 - 1933 - Kansas City, Missouri

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DeWolf Hopper died of a heart attack at age 77 in a hospital in Kansas City. His ashes are interred in Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York.

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